


strong as the gale

by Mr_Phich



Series: everyone needs a chance to be small [11]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Attempted Violence Against Family Member, Bathing, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Clint Needs a Hug, Daddy!Steve, Emotional Outbursts, Family Fights, Hateful Words to Family Member, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Little!Bucky - Freeform, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Non-Sexual Age Play, Restraint/Restraining, Wetting, little!Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 06:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7256512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Phich/pseuds/Mr_Phich
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes, Clint says things he doesn’t mean.</p>
            </blockquote>





	strong as the gale

**Author's Note:**

> This one was prompted by [this ask](https://imdefinitelyyourcat.tumblr.com/post/145454361494/can-you-continue-the-story-of-everyone-deserves-a) over on [tumblr](https://imdefinitelyyourcat.tumblr.com/). I hope that it lives up to expectation, nonnie! Thanks for prompting! It is set sometime after Thor starts babysitting but before they come out to the team. 
> 
> This story includes a massive Bucky outburst, including extreme emotional states. Extended warnings in end notes. Please respect your triggers! If this isn't something you can read, I'll see you next story!

 

_ Needles and pins,  _

_ Needles and pins, _

_ Sew me a sail _

_ To catch me the wind. _

_ Sew me a sail _

_ Strong as the gale, _

_ Carpenter, bring out your _

_ Hammers and nails. _

_ Hammers and nails, _

_ Hammers and nails, _

_ Build me a boat _

_ To go chasing the whales. _

_ Chasing the whales, _

_ Sailing the blue _

_ Find me a captain _

_ And sign me a crew. _

_ Captain and crew, _

_ Captain and crew, _

_ Take me, oh take me _

_ To anywhere new. _

 

A scream of “Daddy,” terrified and distraught, had Steve running from the kitchen where he’d been making lunch. He’d left Bucky and Clint playing quietly only ten minutes before and he didn’t know what could have happened in those ten minutes. Clint had been withdrawn this morning, but not worryingly so and Phil hadn’t said anything about any major warning signs. 

Bucky was pressed up against a wall, eyes wide and blank. His whole body was shaking and he was running his nails over his torso, leaving lines of blood. Steve burst into action, barely taking the time to register that Clint was safely ensconced on the couch, tears running down his shocked face, before he was gently trying to hold Bucky’s hand away from his body. Bucky snapped his head back, hard, against the wall and then launched forward. He landed a bite on Steve’s forearm, breaking skin, and broke out of Steve’s grasp. Bucky kicked the train tracks he and Clint had been playing with, sending them skittering over the floor and picked up the lego castle Clint had been working on for days and smashed it against the floor. He reached out and flipped the coffee table before Steve could manage to get a solid grip on him. 

Steve tugged Bucky firmly down to the ground. Quickly he looped his legs over Bucky’s, effectively pinning them. He used one arm to cross Bucky’s arm across his body, curling his fist over Bucky’s hand so that Bucky couldn’t injure himself or Steve. Steve used his other hand to gently press Bucky’s head back against Steve’s chest, keeping him from twisting and biting or crashing his skull into Steve. Bucky fought for a long time, the minutes ticking by while blood roared in Steve’s ears. 

Bucky thrashed this way and that, trying and failing to break out of Steve’s arms. All the while Clint sobbed on the couch. Steve was too focused on keeping Bucky restrained to have the mental energy to come up with the right words at first, so he kept his eyes glued on Clint, trying to be reassuring while his body contained Bucky’s rage. Slowly, slowly, Bucky stopped fighting. His muscles started to tremble and shake and tears started to pour down his face, his whole chest heaving with horrible, guttural sobs. Steve waited for two minutes after the fighting had ended to rearrange Bucky, lifting his trembling boy into his arms and wrapping him in a giant bear hug. Bucky buried his head in Steve’s neck, chest heaving as he attempted to bring in enough air. 

Steve waited another minute, hand running up and down Bucky’s back, until he was sure that Bucky wasn’t going to hurt himself or anyone else, before lifting Bucky and proceeding to the couch. He sat them down beside Clint and Clint started to cry harder. 

“M’sorry Daddy, m’sorry, sorry - m’bad, m’so bad,” Clint sobbed. Steve’s eyebrows rose in surprise. 

“Clint, there’s nothing to be sorry for, Bucky gets upset sometimes, you know that -” but Clint was shaking his head, hard. 

“I said sumthin’ nasty, Daddy, really bad. I was mean, so mean. M’sorry!” Steve’s eyes narrowed in concern, especially as Bucky’s sobs kicked up a notch. It wasn’t that Clint hadn’t set Bucky off before, it was just that was usually because Clint was too loud or startled Bucky. Clint had never been  _ mean  _ to Bucky before. Clint saved his unsavory thoughts and feelings to share with Steve privately. 

“Shh,” Steve shushed softly, bringing a hand up to Clint’s head to stroke softly. “It’s okay. I’m sure that we can figure this all out. I need you to tell me what you said.” Steve was starting to get really worried, because Bucky’s sobs were not petering out at all, instead they seemed to be growing in intensity, Bucky sucking in breath before collapsing into himself. Steve was concerned that Bucky might make himself sick. 

Clint shook his head, pulling away from Steve and curling up into a tiny little ball of a boy. 

“I can’t Daddy,” He whimpered. “It was so bad. You’ll hate me, you’ll send me away.”

“Clint,” Steve soothed gently, “There is nothing you could ever say or do that would make me send you away or hate you. I love you. We all make mistakes and do things that we really wish we didn’t do. But we apologize and admit that we were wrong and we move on, baby. That’s how life works.”

Clint trembled and tucked his thumb into his mouth and stared, wide-eyed, at Steve and Bucky. Steve’s body was shaking with the force of Bucky’s muscle tremors. Clint opened and closed his mouth. 

If Steve hadn’t been a super soldier he wouldn’t have heard it when Clint whispered, “I said I hated him and that he should go back where he came from.” As it was, Steve’s whole body froze with the words.  _ Oh, oh fuck. _ His arms tightened around Bucky and Steve gathered every last drop of Daddy in him to lean closer to Clint and reassure him. 

“It’s alright Clint. You’re right, that was a pretty mean thing to say, but I know you didn’t mean it. You need to apologize to Bucky. Not right now, because Bucky is too upset to hear you, but later, when he’s calm again, okay?” Clint nodded, tears sliding down his face. Steve used the end of his sleeve to wipe the tears and snot away. “I love you, baby. We’re gonna be okay.” Clint leaned into his touch, sniffling and trembling. 

Steve turned his words to Bucky, now that he knew what injuries he was trying to fix. “Bucky, buddy, I’m so glad you’re here with me. It makes me so happy that you’re here with me and with Clint and that we’re all learning to love each other. You’re such a strong, wonderful person Bucky, when you’re big and when you’re little. I know the world feels really scary right now, but I’m staying right here with you, and I promise that you’re going to be safe and that you won’t be alone again. You never have to go back to HYDRA. You’re gonna stay here, in the tower, with me and Clint and Thor and all of our friends. Bucky, baby, it’s okay, we’re okay.” Bucky no longer sounded like he was about to puke, but his body was still shaking and there were tears and snot being rubbed into Steve’s neck, and it had now been almost fifteen minutes of this, with at least a half hour of being restrained before that and Steve had to get Bucky calm again. 

“Clinty, baby, I think Bucky needs a bath to help him get calmed down, okay? How would you feel about sitting in the bathroom with your wordless picture books while I do that? Would that be okay?” Clint nodded tearfully and together they all stood up. Steve held Clint’s hand with one hand and lifted Bucky with the other and slowly led them into the bathroom. They paused by the bookshelf by his bed so that Clint could gather his favorite wordless books and then they proceeded into the bathroom. Steve got Clint settled in a little nest of towels, leaning next to the door way. 

Clint seen to, Steve started the water. He sat down and carefully started to draw Bucky away from his body. Bucky came slowly, clinging and crying, body loose and jerky. Bucky’s face was red and tearstained, eyes wide and anxious. Steve ran a soothing hand along Bucky’s back. 

“There’s my boy,” he murmured, “there he is. We’re okay, hmm? We’re okay.” Bucky sniffled. Bucky’s coordination always suffered after one of his tantrums, and this time he could barely lift his arm to help Steve remove his shirt. Steve paused to examine the scratches Bucky had given himself. They were only just starting to scab over and were red and painful looking. They were pretty deep, too, and Steve made a mental note to trim Bucky’s nails later. Steve used his strength to his advantage to gently lift and maneuver Bucky to remove his urine-soaked pants. Steve wasn’t sure exactly when Bucky had wet himself, mind too caught up in more important details, but he wasn’t surprised. Bucky’s body went into an extreme fight or flight mode when he got like this and it didn’t matter if Bucky had just gone to the bathroom, his bladder invariably let go of whatever contents it held. 

Steve finished undressing Bucky and carefully set him down in warm water. Bucky was still crying and he looked up at Steve with wide, helpless eyes. Steve’s heart constricted. He hated seeing Bucky, his brave, strong, compassionate friend like this. He hated seeing Bucky his sweet, quiet, nervous little boy like this. Steve pulled out the softest of the washcloths and started to sing a lilting gaelic lullaby that his mother used to sing to him, when he was a little boy. As Steve dragged the washcloth over Bucky’s sensitive skin, trembles eased and tears dried up. There was recovery still to come - apologies and mending fences, and probably nightmares and more tears and possibly anger and fights. Steve glanced over at Clint and chuckled. His other little boy had fallen asleep, using his book as a pillow and covered in towels. 

A quiet calm crept back into Steve’s bones. It was going to be okay. 

 

_ fin.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Extended warnings: Bucky gets very angry and throws objects. He scratches himself until he bleeds and bites Steve. Steve has to restrain him for a good period of time, which Bucky actively fights. Bucky then cries. This is brought on by Clint telling Bucky that "he should go back where he came from." 
> 
> Guys! Sarahnotduck wrote an amazing little!Bucky and Daddy!Steve story that you should go read, [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7247062). It's wonderful and adorable and you should go give her some love! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, kudoing, and commenting!


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